HST vs GST on hills: buy B21,L39,or (gasp)JD-110?

[JimMorrissey]

Have them deliver a L39 to your property so yo can demo it.

Can you enlighten us as to how you will use the machine on the hills? Are you using the loader along the slope of the hill, or a hoe going up and down....or something else?

GST is nice. HST is nice. The L39 is an awesome machine you will not likey outgrow. Put it this way....you will be able to dig a hole, pick up your BX and completely bury it with little effort. The loader is fantastic and both the hoe and loader are very close in specifications to both the L48 and the JD110.

 

[Builder]

I agree with Jim. We need to know some exact scenarios to tell if you'd even have a problem with GST.

I think HST will work for a novice or experienced operator in ANY situation. It's almost fool-proof. GST will work in any situation in the hands of an experienced operator, but may give a rookie a few anxious moments.

I like both. My John Deere GT325 is HST, and I love it for cutting grass, pulling a cart lawn sweeper, etc. it's effortless. My L-39 feels "hooked-up" real tight when it's in F or R on the hand shifter.

Like Jim said, demo the heck out of them, because you'll spend a lot of money.

 

[BX2230Dude]

There seems to be a lot of HST vs GST threads lately. I just read thru the 5030 vs L48 thread and a few new ones. I agree with most of the comments made about the HST: It's great for precision control, inching forward and backward. It's great for starting and stopping, forward and reverse, on hills. It doesn't stall when driving into a dirt pile, etc. It's very easy to operate, maybe even too-easy, for a first-time tractor owner. If not for TBN and all the safe operating posts, I'd probably be dead by now, or at least horribly disfigured, squished under my BX. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

It's been raining all week, so I haven't gone out to measure the dirt road, but I'd say it's about 10 degrees at the steepest part. Speaking of rain, the road is cut into the side of the hill and curves around the hill until it reaches the little creek at the bottom of the property. Over the years what little drainage there was along the road has been mostly filled in with dirt. Heavy rains flow down the road instead of the drainage ditch. I'd like to dig out the ditch with maybe a 12" bucket to improve the drainage. I'd probably start at the bottom and work my way up, using either the transmission or the backhoe to push myself along. I'm just curious if the GST would be up for a task like this (once I got used to it) or would I essentially be performing a "martyrdom operation" /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif , earning myself a Darwin award. Either way I'd make sure to post pictures...

The first thing I'll do is visit the dealership and try out the GST on flat ground. Then I'll see about trying it in the hills. I suspect that it's like everything else. Practice, practice, practice. In the hands of a skilled operator it should perform as well as the HST. In my hands, well..., wait for the pictures.

 

[Builder]

Sounds like you need HST for the hill factor & fear factor.
Once you get experience with GST, you'll go anywhere you want. It really reminds me of the arguement between manual and automatic transmission trucks. I see lots of occasional drivers sweating profusely trying to hold a manual trans dump truck still at a light on a hill with a 10 ton Eager Beaver in tow and some "rocket scientist" in a car 1 foot behind the trailer. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Then you'll see experienced guys just feather that same truck right through with no problems.

Kind of like a big rig driver, my advice would be to go by seat time. If you only use your rig once a week, you ought to consider HST. If you're a daily user, you'll master a GST in no time.